Indicating system



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. S. D. THURSTON INDIGATING SYSTEM.

No. 509,459. Patented Nov. 28, 1893.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

In! NATIONAL umoonmma count.

wummarou. n. c.

NiTED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SPENCER D. THURSTGN, OF CAMDEN, NEV JERSEY.

INDICATING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,459, dated November28, 1893.

Application filed January 14:, 1898. S i l No, 458,418. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SPENCER D. THURSTON, of Camden, in the county ofCamden and State of New Jersey, have in vented certain new and usefulImprovements in Indicating Systems; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled inflthe art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompany- 1ngdrawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon,which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in indicating systems andmore particularly to improved indicating or annunciator systems forsteam ships.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved system, wherebythe reversal, stoppage or forward movement of the engine isautomatically indicated ata desired point on the vessel.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and incombinations of parts more fully described hereinafter and particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammaticalview showing part of a marine engine and the present in- Vention appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is asectional elevation of the indicator or annunciator.Fig. 3 is a similar view to that of Fig. 2 show ing other portions ofthe annunciator in section and in elevation respectively. Fig. tie alongitudinal section of the annunciator taken in a plane at right anglesto the planes of the sections of Figs. 2 and 3.

Considerable difficulty is sometimes experienced in managing or pilotingsteam vessels when the captain or pilot gives orders to the engineer inrapid succession, and does not know whether his previous order has beenobeyed in giving the next order, or when he does not remember hisprevious order. This invention is intended to automatically indicate inthe pilot house (or elsewhere if desired) every start, reversal orstoppage of the engine, and at the same time indicate such action by anaudible alarm so that the pilots orders will be answered and thatwithout imposing any extra action or attention on the part'of theengineer.

In Fig. 1 any ordinary engine is shown such as a marine engine.a,indicates thethrottle lever. 19, indicates the reversing mechanism,including the links 0. d, indicates the condenser of the engine. e,indicates the pump of the engine. f, indicates a suitable annunciator orindicator located where desired in some portion of the ship, preferably,in the pilot house. The face of this annunciator is provided withcertain characters or words to indicate ahead stop; back or astern.These words are located on the face of the annunciator. Thisannunciatoris so constructed as tobe operated by differences in pressure ashereinafter more fully described and this invention is not limited toany particular peculiar construction of annunciator, although a specificconstruction is herein shown and claimed. The connecting tube g, extendsfrom the op erating mechanism of the annunciator to the engine, andwithin its length is provided with a three way cock h, one duct thereofopening to the outer atmosphere through pipe 1?; the pipe g, openinginto another duct thereof; and the third duct thereof connected by pipej to one duct of a. second three way cook it, having one duct connectedby a tube Z, to the air chamber of pump 0, or some other source ofpressure, as a steam pipe shown by dotted lines. The remaining duct ofthe cock 7a is connected by tube m to the condenser 01, wherein there isnormally a partial vacuum or less than atmospheric pressure. The threeway cock h, controlling the outlet to the at mosphere has its valve stemoperating arm it, connected by a link 0, to the throttle lever a, sothat when said lever is in its normal position and the engine is workingthe outlet to the atmosphere through the tube 2', will be closed and thetubes g and j will be in communication. Vhen the throttle lever is movedto stop the engine the valve of the cock h is turned to closecommunication between tubes g and j, and tube 9 is opened to theatmosphere, thereby permitting the parts of the annunciator in the pilothouse to assume their normal positions with the finger or indicatingfinger thereof over Stop. The operating arm of the three way cock in, isconnected by a link q, to one of the links 0, of the reversing mechanismof the engine so that when said link is in the go ahead position,

the three way cock will close communication through tube Z, to the airchamber of the pump, but will place the tubej, in communication with thetube m, and the. condenser and the reduced pressure will permit 7 thesprings to force the operating'parts of the annunciator so that thefinger thereof will indicate ahead. When the engine is reversed, and thelink 0 moved to its opposite position the valve of the cock will beshifted to close tube m and place tubes j and Zin communication, and thehigh pressure in the pump forces the parts of the annunciator to movethe finger to Astern.

From the foregoing description and the drawings it will be readilyunderstood that when the person directing the movements of the vesselssounds an order to the engineer as soon as this order is obeyed it willbe indicated in the pilot house or elsewhere and the person in chargeknows when his orders are obeyed and whether the engines are working ornot and in which direction and fu rthermore all indications are madewithout any extra action or thought on the part of the engineer, butentirely automatically by the action of the engine or parts in stopping,starting or reversing.

While specific constructions are herein described for carrying out thisinvention, such as three way cocks and peculiar connections foroperating them, yet I do not wish to limit myself to these exactconstructions and arrangements as they are specifically describedherein, merely as the preferred Way of carrying out my invention.

I do not wish to limit myself to the employment of any particularconstruction of annunciator in connection with this system, but in Figs.2, 3, and 4, I illustrate the form of annunciator I prefer to use. Inthese figures 2, indicates a case provided with the face over which theindicating finger 3, travels and which is provided with the charactersindicating astern, stop, and ahead. The shaft carrying this indicatingfinger is provided with pinion 4c, rigid thereon. This shaft 5, is alsoprovided with the two disks 6, 6', rigid thereon within the casepreferably located on opposite sides of the gear 4. 7,indicates acylinder extending down from said case and rigidly secured at its upperend, thereto. The tube g, opens into the lower end of this cylinder. 8,indicates a piston in said cylinder having its piston rod 9, extendedupwardly and at its upper end provided with the rigid loop 10,surrounding the gear at, and provided with vertical gearing 11, on oneside thereof engaging and meshing with said gear. The piston rod 9, isprovided with lateral lugs or projections 12, projecting out throughlongitudinal slots in the cylinder 7, above the piston therein andlocated between the inner ends of two springs 13, 13, embracing theperiphery of said cylinder and at their outer ends bearing against stopson the cylinder so that if said piston is moved up or down it will actagainst the upper or the lower spring. 14, indicates a gong mountedabove the case. 15, 16, indicate two clappers suitably pivoted beneaththe gong so as to move independently. These clappers are located onopposite sides of the gong and the clapper 15,is provided with a toe 17,extending down beside the disk 6, while the clapper 16, is provided witha toe 18, extending down beside the disk 6. The two clappers are alsoprovided respectively with springs 19, holding them in theirnormalpositions. The disk 6 is provided with the spring pawls 20, 21, 22,arranged on the side thereof and preferably pointing in the directionthe disk turns when the finger is moving to Astern. These disks are inthe drawings shown soarranged that when the fingeris over Stop the toe17 will be located between the pawls 21, and 22. Hence if the person inthe pilot house rings two bells to start the engine back the tube g,will be thrown into com munication with a source of pressure and thepiston 8, will be forced up against the tension of the upper spring 13,moving the loop 10, up and by means of the gearing 4E, 11 and shaft5,rotatin g the indicating finger around to the word Astern. As theshaft 5,rotates thetwopawls 20, and 21 will in succession trip the toe17 and thereby sound the gong twice in the pilot house in answer to thepilots order to the en gineer. If the order stop should now be given bysay one bell from the pilot to the engineer, the tube g, will be openedto the atmosphere when the engineer obeys the order thereby permittingthe piston 8, and spring 13, and other parts of the annunciator toreturn to their normal positions with the finger on the word Stop. Inmoving back the pawl 23 on the side of the disk 6, will engage the toe18, and sound the gong 14, once in answer to the pilots order. Theconstruction and arrangement of these pawls and parts operated therebyis such that every order of the pilot to the engineer will be answeredin the pilot house by the same number of bells, when the engineer obeysthe order.

It is evident that various changes might be resorted to in the forms,constructions and arrangements of the parts described without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the construction herein disclosed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. An indicating system for steam vessels comprising a pressureannunciator, a duct therefrom/having branches, respectively, to theatmosphere, to a source of pressure, and to a chamber wherein thepressure is less than that of the atmosphere, means, substantially asdescribed, controlling said branches whereby said duct can besuccessively throwninto communication with the atmosphere, said sourceof pressure, or said chamber, substantially as described.

2. An indicating system for steam vessels comprising a pressure operatedannunciator, a connection therefrom having branches, respectively,communicating with the atmosphere, a chamber or portion of the enginewherein there is excessive pressure, a chamber wherein the pressure isless than that of the atmosphere, and valves controlling said branchesand connected with and operated by movable portions or parts of theengine, as and for the purposes set forth.

3. An indicating system comprising an annunciator or indicator, a tubefrom the operating parts thereof having branches to bodies of fluidunder different pressure, valves controlling said branches so that thebranches can be successively thrown into continuity with the main tube,and connections between said valves, respectively, and the mechanismcontrolling the stopping and starting of an engine, and the reversingmechanism of the engine, substantially as described.

4. In an indicating system, the combination of a pressure operatedannunciator, of a steam 5. In an indicating system, the combination ofan annunciator operated by differences in pressure, connections forplacing the operating mechanism of the annunciator into communicationwith sources of different pressure, and mechanisms controlled byoperating parts of a steam engine for successively placing saidannunciator in communication with said sources of different pressures,when the direction of movement of the engine is changed or the engine isstopped or started, substantially as described.

6. An annunciator having the spring 0011- trolled piston, the shaftcarrying the indicating finger and geared to and rotated by thereciprocation of said piston, the gong the separate spring controlledclappers', and the disks on said shaft having pawls to engage saidclappers, substantially as described.

7. In an annunciator, the combination of a shaft controlling theindicating means, a gong and its sounding mechanism, and a disk on saidshaft provided with projections, such as pawls, arranged to operate saidsounding mechanism to sound the gonga certain number of times for eachposition assumed by the indicating means, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses.

SPENCER D. THURSTON. Witnesses:

' J. E. VAN KIRK,

GEO. W. QUIGLEY.

